


The Hair Dresser Blues

by seeleyboothfan



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeleyboothfan/pseuds/seeleyboothfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine and Carole bond in the most unlikely place and he finally finds the family he'd be waiting for his whole life. Brief Kurt/Blaine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hair Dresser Blues

“I don't think I'll ever love again. It hurts too much.”

 

Carol looked up from her magazine and looked into the mirror in front of her. She could barely make out the boy who was talking on the other side of the salon. She was at Cuts and Cuticles getting her monthly hair cut and color. The sound of a boy struggling to keep from crying was not something she had heard at the salon before. The voice belonged to a young boy who sat at one of the nail stations, his back to her. He had a thick set of curls atop his head and was wearing a button up shirt and slacks.

 

Carol frowned. The poor boy must have just broken up with his girlfriend. She herself had gone through a bad break up in high school, so she felt for him.

 

“Oh, sweetie, I know it feels that way now, but you'll meet a new boy soon and you'll forget about this pain,” the manicurist cooed at the boy as she filed down his nails.

 

Carol's eyes narrowed. Another gay boy in Lima? Last she knew, Kurt and Blaine had been the only two boys out in this town.

 

“You don't know him, though.” The boy sounded devastated. “Kurt was everything to me and I messed it all up. He hates me.”

 

“Blaine?” Carol called out in shock.

 

The boy whipped his head around and, sure enough, it was Blaine. “Mrs. Hummel?” His red rimmed eyes were wide with shock.

 

*******

 

“How's your sandwich?”

 

“It's delicious, thank you.”

 

“No problem, dear.” Carole smiled at Blaine who sat picking at his tuna sandwich and salad. As soon as

she had seen Blaine's tear stained face, she knew she had to do something. She'd still had ten minutes until the hair dye set in, so she'd gone over to sit by Blaine.

 

_“I couldn't help but overhear you, Blaine.”_

_He'd gone red. “I didn't realize you'd be here. I'll just leave.” Blaine went to stand up._

_Carole reached out and placed a hand on his arm.”You don't have to leave, sweetheart. I'd been meaning to talk with you for a while now.”_

_Blaine looked terrified. “I'm so sorry about what happened with Kurt.”_

_“I'm not here to talk about Kurt. I'd like to talk about you.”_

_Blaine looked flabbergasted. It was as if no one had ever wanted to talk about him before. It broke Carole's heart. “Why?”_

_“Are you asking why I'd want to talk about you?”_

_Blaine just nodded._

_“Oh, honey.” Carole reached out and pulled him into her arms, his body stiff. “You are still an important person to our family.” When Carole finally pulled away, Blaine reached down into his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief and blew his nose into it as delicately as possible._

_“I don't deserve that, Mrs. Hummel.”_

_She put a hand on his shoulder. “Call me, Carole, please. How would you like to go to lunch?”_

_Blaine nodded and dropped his head. “Yeah, I should probably go. I'm sorry to have bothered you.” Blaine stood up to leave and it took a few seconds for Carole to understand._

_“Blaine, I was asking if you wanted to go to lunch **with me.** ” _

_“Oh.”Blaine gave a sheepish smile._

_“So why don't you let her finish your nails while I get this out of my hair. Unless you want to go with me looking like this.” She indicated the bird's nest of hair and tinfoil atop her head. Blaine giggled._

“So how are you doing, Blaine?” Carole took a sip of her ice tea and smiled at the boy.

 

Blaine froze but made sure to finish chewing the bite he had in his mouth before responding. “Good?”

 

Carole reached out and grabbed his hand. “You don't have to pretend around me, sweetie. I really want to know how you're doing.”

 

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Blaine broke down, his face crumpling and tears quickly pooled in his eyes. Carole's heart broke and she moved to sit into the chair next to Blaine and put an arm around his shaking shoulders.

 

When he finally calmed down, Carole started to pack up their things. “Blaine, grab your coat.”

 

“I was already planning on leaving. Just give me a few moments to put myself together and I'll go home.”

 

“Blaine, I'm not sending you away.” Carole sighed. No matter how much she tried to show Blaine that she cared, he kept acting as if he was a burden and not worth the time of day. “I would like to bring you home and make you a pot of tea. I'd like to sit down and talk and then I'd like you to join Burt, Finn, and I for dinner.”

 

Blaine's face drained of color. “I can't talk to Burt, he'd kill me.”

 

Carole couldn't help but smile. “He's just a big teddy bear. You'll be perfectly safe.” She stood up and made sure he followed before she walked them to her car.

 

*********

 

Dinner was an awkward affair. Finn and Burt never said more than two words to him and when they did, they were only at the prompting of Carole. Blaine never looked up from his plate, even when he was addressed. He didn't eat much, just pushed the piles of food around his plate for a half hour.

 

He offered to help Carole clean up, if only to get away from Burt and Finn. When he went to grab Finn's empty plate, the boy frowned at him and pulled the plate closer. “I'm not done.”

 

Blaine's eyes narrowed. There was not a speck of food on the plate.

 

“Finn Christopher Hudson you hand over your plate right now, young man.” Carole put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.

 

Finn's face colored and he handed the plate to Blaine none-too-friendly. Blaine grabbed the plate and practically ran to the kitchen. He set the plates in the sink and hung his head. He knew he shouldn't  have come. Carole was probably going to make him sit down with Burt and let him chew him out for how he treated Kurt. He knew he deserved it, he just wasn't sure he could make it through it with his heart intact.

 

The afternoon at the Hudmel house had started out fine. Carole had made him a pot of cinnamon apple tea and they'd sat together in the living room talking about school and his parents. He'd admitted things to Carole he hadn't felt comfortable telling even Kurt. He told her about his cheating and she hadn't condemned him. She'd simply nodded and offered comforts when he started to cry.

 

They made their way to the kitchen and started making dinner. Blaine had been smiling, something he hadn't done in a while, when Finn and Burt came home from the shop. Things had gone downhill quickly. Carole hadn't told either of them that Blaine would be staying for dinner and they were none too pleased when they found out. 

 

“Blaine, honey, are you all right?”

 

Blaine looked up from the sink where he still stood. He made a move to start washing the plates, hoping she hadn't seen his tears. “Yup.”

 

Carole sighed. “I've told you that you don't have to pretend around me. I know I should have prepared the boys better but I didn't have time. I had hoped they'd be kinder to you. They'll warm up soon, I'll make sure of it. Next week will go much better.”

 

“Next week?”

 

“Didn't I tell you?” She smiled. “I want you to join us for Friday night dinners.”

 

“That would be a bad idea, Mrs. Hummel. I'm not part of your family and those are your special dinners.”

 

“Blaine, you've told me that you don't feel like a family when you're with your parents. Every child should have a family. Burt and I have created a family out of two separate pairs who came together to make this a special place and we can choose to add to our family however we please. You need us and we have room in our hearts and home for you.”

 

Blaine just shook his head in disbelief.  “I can't ask this of you.”

 

“You're not asking, I'm giving. Now, how about we start on these dishes before we grab the dessert. I'll talk with Burt and Finn tonight and by next week things should be much better. I want this to be a safe place for you. If  you need to talk, you can call or stop by, okay?”

 

Blaine finally smiled. “Okay, thank you.” They hugged for a moment before starting on their dishes.

 

*******

 

The next few weeks were interesting. Carole and Blaine met up for lunch every other Sunday to talk and scheduled their appointment at Cuts and Cuticles for the same time. Once the foils were in her hair, she'd sit with Blaine at the nail station and they'd talk and discuss whatever articles were interesting in the magazines they were reading. Every Friday evening after Glee, Blaine would drive over to the Hudmel house and help Carole make dinner.

 

True to her word, Carole had spoken with Burt and Finn and they were, well, not nice exactly, but polite. They didn't glare at him anymore but they weren't welcoming him with open arms either.  The fifth Friday night dinner Blaine attended was where things started to change.

 

He'd help Carole make her special beef stew and brought along freshly baked rolls from the bakery down the road. Finn asked Blaine's opinion on songs for Nationals. Blaine was stunned into silence at Finn directly addressing him and had be unable to respond for a few moments. He'd tentatively suggested a song by Mumford & Sons and Finn hadn't shot him down. He simply nodded and said he'd look into their songs after dinner.

 

As Blaine was helping clear the dishes, Burt came walking up to him. “I was wondering what your plans were for tonight.”

 

Blaine jumped and nearly dropped the plate he was holding. “I-I'm, uh... homework?” He turned the statement into a question, as if he were asking if that was okay with Burt. “Why do you ask?”

 

“I was hoping you'd stick around and watch the hockey game with me.”

 

“You mean the Wings game?”

 

Burt smiled.  “They play the Flyers tonight. Are you interested?”

 

Blaine nodded. “Dad never lets me watch the game and none of my friends like hockey.”

 

Burt reached out and squeezed Blaine's shoulder. “Any night you want to come over and watch the game, just give me a call.”

 

“Really? Thank you, Mr. Hummel.”

 

“You can call me Burt, kid.”

 

Burt nodded at him and then walked to the living room. Blaine stood blinking, trying to take in what just happened, absently wiping the plate still in his hands.

 

“Do you need some help with the dishes?” Blaine turned slowly towards Carole who was putting away the leftovers in the fridge. “What's wrong, sweetheart?”

 

“I think your husband just asked me to watch hockey with him.”

 

“That's wonderful. I told Burt that you'd been mentioning the game. He loves hockey, but Finn's not much of a fan so he's had to watch it alone. Go join him, I'll finish the dishes.” She pushed Blaine towards the living room, Blaine almost tripping on his feet.

 

The rest of the evening was surreal. Burt and he cheered and groaned and joked as the game progressed. Even before the second period, Blaine had lost all his nerves. Burt put him completely at ease, something Blaine had never thought would happen. Once the game ended, Burt thanked Blaine for joining him and asked if he'd come over Sunday to watch the next game.

 

Blaine smiled and said he'd love to. He'd walked to his car with a huge smile on his face, the first he'd had in a very long time.

 

*********

 

“Hello, Carole.”

 

“Actually, this is Burt.”

 

“Oh. Hello.” Burt was the type of person who didn't like talking on the phone, so any time a call came from from the Hudmel house, Blaine knew it was Carole. “Is everything all right?”

 

“It is. I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night.”

 

Blaine grimaced at the reminder of his empty calendar. Besides Glee, he had no plans, ever. His family wanted nothing to do with him and he didn't have any friends at McKinley. His Dalton friends no longer called him, either. “I don't think I'm doing anything.”

 

“Fantastic. I scored two tickets to the Blue Jackets game and I figured, you being my hockey buddy, we could go together.”

 

Blaine smiled wide enough that his cheek ached with the strain. “I would love to! I've never been able to see a game in person. Thank you!”

 

“Can you be out here by 3? I'd like to arrive at the arena with enough time to get to our seats so we can get some dogs for dinner.”

 

“I will.”

 

Blaine spent the rest of the day smiling.

 

********

 

The hockey game was a blast. The Blue Jackets beat the Sabers 3 – 0. During one the break between the second and third period, Burt asked Blaine about his plans for college. Blaine was stressing out because he'd heard back from the scholarship department and he didn't qualify. He tried to explain to them that, while his parents were well off, they had cut him off financially. The lady he spoke to apologized, said she understood, but that she had to follow their protocol.

 

Blaine told Burt about his job hunt that had been, so far, unsuccessful. He had started looking into loans, but the banks required a parental cosigner and his parents refused. Burt nodded and made a frustrated noise and then turned back to watch the players on the ice.

 

They were silent as they walked to the car. They were about to climb in when there was a commotion to their left. A gentleman was yelling at his car, kicking the tires.  Burt told Blaine to stay at the car and walked over to the gentleman.

 

“Can I help you, sir?”

 

“My dad-blasted car won't start.”

 

“Would you mind me taking a look? I own a repair shop in Lima.”

 

“That'd be great, thanks.”

 

Blaine watched the exchange for a few moments before locking Burt's car and walking over to where they stood.

 

“Blaine, could you hold the flashlight for me?” Burt held out the compact flashlight he'd kept in his coat pocket.

 

Blaine grabbed it and shone in on the area under the hood where Burt was looking. Blaine peered down and evaluated the situation.

 

“So what do you think?” The gentleman asked, nervously.

 

“The battery.” Blaine commented.

 

Both men turned to look at him. “What'd you say?”

 

Blaine blushed. “I wasn't- I mean...”

 

“You notice something wrong?” Burt asked.

 

Blaine rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn't trying to butt in.”

 

“It's all right, kid. What did you see?”

 

Blaine shrugged and stepped forward. “One of the wires is disconnected from the battery. Car won't start if the battery isn't correctly hooked up.”

 

Burt smiled at him and clapped him on the back. “Good catch.”  Blaine preened at the praise, especially when the gentleman stuck out his hand to shake with Blaine and thanked him for his help. Burt and Blaine had the gentleman on the road within five minutes.

 

“Thanks for your help back there, Blaine.”

 

Blaine smiled. “My pleasure. It's nice to put that knowledge to use. Guess rebuilding that Chevy wasn't entirely in vain.”

 

Burt seemed to consider that for a bit before he shook his head and pulled out of the lot to go back to Lima.

 

*********

 

“They even have a clause in the Dalton student handbook that furniture is not meant to be walked upon.”

 

Burt laughed. “I like you, kid, but if I see you standing on my coffee table, I'll kick you out.”

 

Blaine smiled. “Duly noted.” Blaine looked down at the sack in his hand. “Oh, right. Carole asked me to drop this off.”

 

“I'm always leaving my lunch on the counter. Thank you.” Burt stood up and wiped his hands on the rag at his waist. “While you're here, would you mind taking a peek at this truck for me?”

 

“Sure.” Blaine set the bag down on the counter and walked over to the front of the vehicle. “What's wrong with this one?”

 

“Don't know yet. What do you think?”

 

Blaine leaned over and peered under the hood. He reached in and fiddled with a few knobs and valves before calling out a soft, “Aha.” Blaine stood up and pointed. “The serpentine belt is cracked.”

 

“And how often should those be replaced?”

 

“50,000 miles?” Blaine said after a pause.

 

“That's right. While I replace this, would you mind grabbing the paperwork? It's on the desk in my office over there.”

 

Blaine nodded and walked over to the office. Burt took a deep breath and watched as Blaine spotted the 'Help Wanted' sign he'd set up today. He'd talked to Carole about Blaine's financial problems and how he'd helped fix the car at the hockey game. Carole had brought up Burt's need for an extra hand at the shop and thus a plan had been formed.

 

Burt knew Blaine would turn him down if he asked, but if Blaine thought it was his own idea?

 

“Burt, can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“I noticed you were looking for help. I need a job and I've worked on that Chevy enough to know my way around them. I could even help with phones or paperwork or-” _Blaine was rambling, he must be nervous._

“Are you applying for the job?”

 

“Yes.” Blaine straightened up. “If there's a time you want to do the interview-”

 

“Blaine, you've helped diagnose two car issues in only a few minutes. You're always punctual for any plans we have and you've always been polite. The interview isn't necessary. The job's yours if you want it.”

 

“Really?” Blaine gave a hopeful smile.

 

“Really. Can you be here Monday after school?”

 

Blaine nodded. “Thank you so much. This will help me earn enough to start paying for classes next year.” Blaine reached out and hugged Burt, something the boy hadn't been comfortable doing before. “I have to go. Finn's holding an emergency Glee meeting at school. I'll see you on Monday.”

 

Blaine waved and left the shop. Burt picked up the shop phone and called his wife to let her know it had been a success.

 

*********

 

“Finn's a human garbage disposal, so you'll have to grab your food first.” Kurt pulled open the Hudmel front door and let Adam enter before him. “Dad?” He called out.

 

Burt came wandering around the corner and smiled when he saw his son. “Welcome home, Kurt.” He pulled him into a hug, Kurt squeezing him as tight as he could. “You must be Adam.” Burt turned to the other boy with a smile. “Kurt talks about you all the time.”

 

Kurt blushed scarlet and turned to Adam. “Only good things. Adam, follow me. I'll introduce you to Carole and Finn.” Kurt grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him toward the dining room.  “Carole?”

 

The woman peered out from behind the cabinet door. “Kurt, you're back!” She closed the door and walked over to him and hugged him. “I'm so glad you could make it.” She turned to Adam. “Welcome to our home, Adam. It's so nice to finally meet you.”

 

Adam reached out and shook her hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Hummel.” He gave her a charming grin.

 

Carole giggled. “How polite. You've found a keeper, Kurt.”

 

Kurt blushed even darker, but smiled nonetheless. “You guys are trying to embarrass me in front of him, aren't you?”

 

“It's our job as your parents. I'm sure Burt can find your old photo albums so that we can show Adam your baby pictures.”

 

“Please, no.” Kurt felt like his eyes were as wide as saucers.

 

Adam wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind and pressed his left cheek to Kurt's right. “I'm sure you were adorable.”

 

“Darn right, I was adorable. I was the cutest ba-”

 

“Carole, are the rolls ready to go in?” A voice called out from the dining room. Kurt would recognize that voice anywhere, even if he hadn't heard it in months. “I want to make sure they're still warm when it's time to eat.” 

 

The boy who had been Kurt's first love walked around the corner, dressed in the frilliest apron he had ever seen, flour streaked across his cheek and a dab of chocolate on his nose. He was still the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. “Blaine?”

 

The boy froze. “Kurt.”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Making pie.” Blaine said, his voice betraying his confusion.

 

“Why?” Kurt felt Adam pull away from him. He'd told Adam about Blaine towards the beginning of their relationship. He'd wanted to make sure Adam knew how broken he still was and why he wanted to move slowly. Adam had been shocked to be invited to Christmas because of how serious a step it was for them.

 

Blaine blinked a few times and brought a hand up to the nape of his neck to scratch it, stopping at the last second when he saw the oven mitt on his hand.

 

Carole stepped forward and put her arm around Blaine's shoulder. “We invited Blaine for Christmas. He has no one else to spend it with.”

 

Blaine lowered his eyes to the floor, his cheeks a bright pink.

 

“Why would you do that when you knew I was coming?”

 

“Blaine, why don't you put the pie in the oven. Adam, I'm sure Burt could use some help setting up the table. Kurt, you and I need to have a private chat.”

 

Adam nodded, eying Blaine warily before he went to the dining room. Blaine looked a Kurt for another moment before wandering off to the kitchen. Kurt turned to look up at Carole. She had a lot of explaining to do.

 

*********

 

Kurt put his hands on his hips and huffed. “How could you do this to me? You know how upset I was about him and that I didn't want to see him again.”

 

“I know, Kurt. I'm sorry.”

 

“So then, if you knew, why is he here?”

 

Carole pulled out a chair and pointed to it. “Sit down, Kurt. This is something I should have told you before you arrived but I never had the chance. I need you to listen and not interrupt me.”

 

Kurt frowned but nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Firstly, I want to say that Blaine was invited to Christmas long before we knew you were coming home. I couldn't exactly uninvite him when you decided to come.”

 

“Why didn't you tell me he'd be here?”

 

“Because I knew you wouldn't come and we miss you. Were we wrong?”

 

Kurt didn't bother answering. They both knew she was right. “I feel like this would have gone better if I'd had some warning, though.”

 

“I know, and I'm really sorry.”

 

“Why did you invite Blaine to Christmas in the first place?”

 

“This is the part of the explanation that I'm going to request no interruptions. Blaine was really hurting after you broke up.”

 

Kurt snorted but stayed quiet.

 

“I overheard him one day and couldn't help but feel awful for him. He has no one to talk to, Kurt. No family, no friends, no one. He was bottling it up and he was going to burst one day, completely alone. I offered to be a open ear if he needed to talk and he took me up on it. He's doing much better now, but he still needs someone in his corner. I didn't want him to be alone on Christmas so I invited him.”

 

“No one should be alone on Christmas.” Kurt admitted.

 

“Exactly. So that's why I invited him. Well, not the only reason...”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Carole grew red and she avoided Kurt's eyes, something he'd never seen her do before. “He's helping Finn run Glee and they've bonded over that. He's been coming to Friday night dinners and we've gone out to lunch a few times. Burt realized Blaine needed a job and he needed help at the shop, so he's been working there, too.”

 

Kurt's face had been steadily growing redder and his breath was quicker and quicker, his whole body trembling. His voice, however, was steady. “So, you're telling me you've adopted him. He cheated on me, your actual son, and you chose him.”

 

“Kurt, no-”

 

“No, I'm done hearing about this.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Blaine's much more like what Burt's always wanted in a son. Tell me, has he been watching hockey with him? It's Blaine favorite sport and I know Dad loves it, too.”

 

Carole grimaced and didn't answer.

 

“Of course.” Kurt said sarcastically.  “Now that he's part of the family, what am I supposed to do? I was hoping to move on from him. Adam is helping and I'm really happy with him. It just figures; I come home to introduce him to my family whom I loved and trusted and instead I'm confronted with the one person who could wreck this happiness. I thought I was over him, but now I don't know.”

 

Carole scooted over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know I could have handled this better. I wasn't thinking and I'm so sorry. I guess the reason why I never told you about it was because I wasn't looking at Blaine as the boy who broke your heart, I was looking at him as a boy who needed a safe place and a family and we all had plenty of room in our hearts for a hurting soul. I understand that this is difficult for you to see him again, but I can't kick him out tonight. He's grown so much in these few short months and I know that if we turn him out now, it will all go to waste.”

 

Kurt sighed. “There's no way I can sit across the table from him tonight. Could you maybe keep Adam company while I talk to Blaine?”

 

“Of course, dear. Whatever you need.”

 

Kurt stood up. “I've always appreciated your kindness Carole and how you don't judge, no matter the circumstances. I can't say I'm happy that Blaine's been taken in as far as I'm concerned, but I'm sure he appreciates it.”

 

Carole nodded and went to the dining room to join Adam and Burt. Kurt took a few short breaths before going to the kitchen to have a much needed conversation with Blaine.

 

**********

 

Kurt stopped at the sight he came upon when entering the kitchen. Blaine was bent over the stove, struggling to push the broiler compartment back in. His generous ass was angled upwards so that it was all Kurt could focus on. That ass was something Kurt was quite familiar with, both clothed and naked. He let himself stare for a moment before he cleared his throat.

 

Blaine leapt and squeaked in surprise. “Kurt, oh my gosh, you scared me!” He put a hand to his chest. Kurt smiled when he noted that Blaine seemed to have even more flour on his person. His curls were gelled to his head with hunks of congealed flour in the curls.

 

“Nice apron.” Kurt commented. He figured a joke to break the ice would help relieve some of the tension.

 

Blaine glanced down and his cheeks pinkened when he saw the bright pink frills. “It was the only one Carole had. Listen, Kurt, if you want me to leave, I will. I had no idea you'd be here. If I did,  I wouldn't have accepted the invitation.”

 

Kurt waved his hand dismissively. “I won't kick you out on Christmas Eve. I'm not that evil.”

 

Blaine smiled. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”

 

“So, I guess my family adopted you. Wish they would have asked my opinion first. Wish you would have thought about how much that would hurt me.”

 

Blaine's face paled. “Kurt, I never meant to hurt you. I honestly thought they'd talked to you.”

 

“I know. Still doesn't stop it from hurting. Could you explain to me exactly how this happened? I'm struggling to figure out how you came to be part of my family in such a short time, especially after they knew how much you'd broke my heart.”

 

Blaine frowned, finally taking off the ridiculous apron and oven mitt. “I don't really know. Carole heard me talking about what had happened at the nail salon and she took me out to lunch. She's a very hard woman to say no to.” Blaine gave a sheepish smile. “Before I knew it, she convinced me to come to dinner that night. That was the most awkward night of my life. Burt and Finn looked like they wanted to kill me.

 

“Good.” Kurt flinched. He hadn't meant to sound so mad, but he was happy that at least two of his family members had realized how much Blaine had hurt him.

 

Blaine paused for a moment, unsure how to respond. Finally, he continued, “After dinner, while cleaning dishes, Carole had me spilling all my problems to her. It was nice, being able to talk about stuff knowing she wouldn't judge me. I never had that in my life.”

 

Kurt felt his heart twinge. “I never judged you.”

 

Blaine looked pained. “I know, but you were important to me and I was afraid that even you would have a limit to how much you could handle.”

 

“I loved you. I could have handled anything.”

 

Blaine nodded and hung his head. “I get that now. Carole sort of forced me to join them for dinner every Friday and I guess she explained some of the problems I was having to Burt and Finn because they started being nicer to me. I didn't expect them to. God knows I didn't deserve it after what I did to you. Whatever the circumstances, they took me in and I finally felt like I had a family I could turn to. You don't know how much I've wanted that, _needed_ that.”

 

“I didn't. How could I, when you wouldn't talk to me.”

 

“I know.”

 

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest. “There's nothing we can really do about it, tonight. We'll just have to smile and be civilized to each other during dinner. I brought my boyfriend home with me, can you deal with that?”

 

Blaine blinked and his forehead creased. He seemed to be working through the idea that Kurt was dating someone else. “Yes, I can. I'm glad you found someone, Kurt. You deserve to be happy.”

 

“I do. And I _am_ happy.”

 

“Good.” He nodded and they stared at each other for a few more moments. The oven dinged and they both turned to look at it. “I have to check on the pie.”

 

“I'm going to go check on Adam.”  Kurt watched Blaine for another moment before shaking his head and walking toward the dining room. Their conversation shed some light on how Blaine came to be at the Hudmel family Christmas dinner but it didn't help Kurt figure out his feelings. He'd thought that his love for Blaine had faded, but it was as if they'd all come flying back the second Blaine had walked around the corner. For tonight, he'd push that all aside and enjoy dinner with his family. Once he was alone, he'd think everything through.

 

********

 

If Blaine had thought dinner with the Hudmel family had been awkward that first night, this was exponentially more awkward.  Kurt ignored Blaine for the most part, only looking at him if he needed to pass a dish. Adam sat closer to Kurt than was socially acceptable and he touched Kurt's hands and arms more than what could be considered normal. Blaine couldn't blame the guy for being possessive. It was an odd situation to be dropped into without any notice.

 

After dinner, Blaine pulled Carole aside. “I'm going to head home.”

 

“Blaine, you don't have to leave. We're going to watch It's A Wonderful Life and we'd love to have you join us.”

 

“I really don't think that's the best idea. Kurt deserves some alone time with you. I've overstayed my welcome. Besides, I know it's selfish of me, but it's really painful to watch them together. I  know I have no say in his life anymore, but it still hurts to see him so happy with someone else.”

 

Carole nodded. “Before you go, I have something for you.” She rushed off to the living room, returning with a wrapped package. “Merry Christmas, Blaine.”

 

“You didn't have to get me anything. Your kindness has been more than enough.”

 

“Just open it.”

 

Blaine carefully pulled the wrapping off, gasping at the contents. Inside the box sat a voucher for $200 dollars at American Airlines. He looked up at Carole with a hint of confusion.

 

“It's so you can visit those few colleges in California you were applying to. When the time comes to move there, Burt and Finn have offered to drive you and your belongings there.”

 

Blaine felt tears pool in his eyes. “This is too much.”

 

“Burt give Christmas bonuses to all his employees. We just included that with your present. It's important that you have the opportunity to pick the right college for you. We want you to succeed.”

 

Blaine reached out and hugged her tightly. “Tell Burt thank you, for me.” Blaine reached back into his pocket and pulled out three small presents. “You don't have to open these now.” Blaine had purchased tickets for him and Burt to attend the third Stanley cup Playoff game. He'd bought Carole a spa day. Finn's present was a Xbox Live gift card to buy some DLC for his new game.

 

“That's so sweet of you, Blaine. Thank you.”

 

“It was the least I could do to repay you for everything you've done for me.”

 

“There's no need for repayment. We were happy to help. Drive safe, Blaine.”

 

“I will. Merry Christmas, Carole.”

 

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

 

As Blaine walked toward the door, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye down the hallway. He glanced over and immediately wished he hadn't. Kurt and Adam were locked in a tight embrace, lips moving together in a dance they'd clearly practiced many times. Blaine barely held back his whimper and he moved quickly to the front door and headed out into the cold night. Blaine had thought for once he'd have someone to spend Christmas Day with but again he was denied. He had to step aside and let the boy he still loved with all his heart have this day with his family. Blaine had to learn to live his life on his own and not rely on the Hudmels for everything.

 

********

 

Nothing really changed over the next few months. Blaine still ate dinner with the Hudmels every Friday. He and Carole still scheduled their appointments at Cuts and Cuticles for the same day and ate lunch afterward. Carole helped him fill out his applications for the colleges and Burt promoted Blaine to assistant at the shop. Finn had filled out a few applications for colleges in California in the hopes that he and Blaine would both get accepted and they could room together over there.

 

One night as Blaine played one of Finn's new games with him, he overheard Carole on the phone to Kurt. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he couldn't help it. He'd not heard anything about Kurt since Christmas.

 

“Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. I know you really liked him, but sometimes things just don't work out.”

 

Blaine tuned out from the game, straining to hear the conversation.

 

“At least you know now before things got more serious. If you want to come home, we'll get your room ready for you...Love you too, Kurt. We'll talk to you soon.”

 

“What's going on?” Carole turned to Burt, who walked into the room at that moment.

 

“Kurt broke up with Adam. Said things weren't working between them.”

 

Blaine took a deep breath. _Kurt was single again?_ He wasn't sure  how he felt about that. He'd long since given up that he'd win Kurt back, so Blaine had started thinking about dating again. He'd gone out to dinner with a few of the newer Warblers and had a lot of fun. He didn't want to start anything serious because he was hoping to move to California in 4 months. That didn't mean that Blaine wasn't excited that there was a chance, however slim that chance was, that Kurt would be interested in trying things with him again.

 

Burt sighed. “Poor kid. He doesn't deserve to have to go through this again.”

 

“Dude, are you even paying attention?” Finn sounded pissed.

 

Blaine turned to look at Finn. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

 

“Yeah, well, now we lost the mission.”

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“You okay?” Finn turned to look at Blaine more fully.

 

Blaine nodded even though he was far from okay. “Yeah. I was thinking about California. I've already gotten three letters and I'm anxious to plan the trip to visit them all.”

 

Finn smiled. “I still haven't heard from anyone but USC. I'd love to have options, but at least I know I have one place for sure. Make sure to take pictures of the campus for me.”

 

“Will do. I'll look around at the housing in the area and see what costs we'd be looking at.”

 

“Sweet.” Finn turned back to the game.

 

Blaine was excited for next fall. He had gotten accepted to the three schools he was most excited for and Finn got accepted to a school near him, so he knew he wouldn't be alone. Carole and Burt were like second parents to him and he couldn't be happier with the way his life was going. He may have messed everything up with Kurt but he got a second chance at happiness with his family.

 

********

 

Life in California was difficult, but also wonderful. Blaine made a lot of friends at school and he went out on a few dates but he wasn't ready to commit. He wanted to focus on school. Finn flourished at school and he was making top grades. Blaine and Finn were great roommates and barely had any fights. They switched off on cleaning and grocery shopping and they helped each other with schoolwork.

 

2 years after Finn and Blaine had moved to California something significant happened. Blaine was home alone, eating popcorn as he watched whatever reality crap was on that night. He jumped at the knock on his door. He turned down the TV and padded over, unlocking the door and pulling it open. Kurt stood at the door with a sheepish smile and a rolling suitcase. Suffice it to say, Blaine was surprised. The last time he'd seen Kurt was that Christmas so many years ago.

 

He'd invited Kurt in and took his suitcase from him, wheeling it into Finn's room. He informed Kurt that Finn was over at his girlfriend's house and wouldn't be home for another day. Kurt explained that he'd had time off work and he'd wanted to come see their new place.

 

They both discovered that the other was single and Kurt admitted he'd never stopped loving Blaine to which Blaine responded that he still loved Kurt, too.  They agreed they'd have a lot of work ahead of them if they wanted to make their relationship work. They'd be doing a long distance relationship with even greater distance between them and for even longer than last time. They agreed, too, that no matter the difficulties, they wanted to make it work. Kurt had pulled Blaine into a kiss and the spark was still there.

 

After sitting on the couch and updating each other on the changes in their life as well as discussing what had broken them up the first time, they decided to call Burt and Carole. Over speaker phone, they said how happy they were that their “two boys” were trying to work things out again. They asked if they were one hundred percent committed to this, because neither of them would be able to get through this if things were to go badly again. Kurt and Blaine had looked at each other and they knew they were both ready to try again. Blaine had agreed to be more open with Kurt and Kurt had agreed to devote more time to their relationship. Carole and Burt had wished them all the best.

 

They had a lot of work ahead of them, but they knew what they wanted and what they wanted was forever.

 

 


End file.
